Forever
by lsjkcsjsbjlns
Summary: The team are beckoned to New York to profile a violent spree of cop killings... and soon find themselves on a desperate fight to save each other. S3 minus Rossi. JJReid, maybe MorganGarcia.
1. Think

_All criticism and advice deeply appreciated; if anyone thinks this is worth carrying on with I'd love to hear from you, I have some interesting romance/scary/all sorts of plans ahead :)_

_AN: Obviously don't own CM, just love it_

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 1: Think  
**_"Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever."_ - **Paul Auster**

………

"Seriously kid, someone's gonna ask her out soon, boy will you be sorry"

"I will not be sorry as I am clearly aware of the status - and happy with- 'just friends'"

"Lies"

Morgan grinned, Reid blushed, Emily simply rolled her eyes to the ceiling. They were awaiting the rest of the team in the conference room for the latest case and Morgan was exercising his favorite and main pastime – genius-baiting.

"I've seen you turn an incredible shade of red every time she sways into this room, when are you gonna put us all out of our misery and just do it?"

He was bound to get a reaction soon.

"Seriously Rei-"

"-Morgan, sure you're not covering a little office romance of your own?"

Hotch broke in as he entered, and Reid could relax for another five minutes. He still marveled at the way Morgan remained so smooth in the face of accusation, it made his flustered defenses seem even more pathetic in comparison. JJ saved Morgan this time, stalking in, remote in hand. Spencer became acutely aware of everything he was doing and everything around him, particularly the 'incredible shade of red' he was undoubtedly turning and of course, Morgan's amused glare boring into the side of his head. He quickly pushed these thoughts away however, when he noticed the grave stance JJ had adopted.

"You wont like this one guys"

In other circumstances Morgan would have thrown in a sarcastic comment but it was clear that now just wasn't the time.

"I'll get straight to it… New York. There have been nine confirmed cop killings-"

"Nine??" Morgan questioned incredulously.

"Up until now they were thought to be all brutal, yet unconnected, starting from last Christmas up until late last month… so just under a year" JJ took a deep breath and began opening the files onto the screen. They all had a very small mark in various places on the body.

"It looks like a very crude tattoo…" Emily began, anticipating the inevitable interruption.

"Those look like lowercase Greek characters-" Reid felt obliged to answer her incredulous look "-well I didn't exactly have a social life in high school at the mature age of 12, it passed the time pr-"

"Well, they had to seriously search some of the bodies…" It seemed JJ wanted to get it all out at once, although internally she deeply regretted interrupting Spencer, "but it turned out they had all been marked by a similar symbol, the request was sent two days ago but it has just been upgraded to urgent." The team remained silent so JJ carried on, knowing the personal significance this would have to all of the team, and dreading it. "The NY police department was sent a nameless memo stating amongst other things…'their desire to move onto higher things'… and a laptop with a streaming video of a clearly drugged and brutalized detective… cuffed to a chair, who was working that case." A still flashed onto the screen. It was uncanny. There was a tense pause. Reid was aware of the attention he had inadvertently drawn but somehow he didn't feel anything yet. Panic didn't set in and he decided to take this as promising. It had been almost a year now and he was much more careful, besides, nobody was that unlucky, and Tobias was most certainly dead. He certainly knew they'd stay like this forever if he didn't break the ice soon.

"My ready bags… well, ready"

Hotch gave a quick yet meaningful nod. "Wheels up in half an hour guys"

………

"Now why didn't you grace me with your oh-so-lovely presence in the conference room today?"

"Oh sweetie don't fret, I am already hard at work enhancing these photos into a recognizable form for our resident genius to decode"

Garcia twirled an electric pink fluffy pen between her nimble fingers and swirled around to face him, with a gaze of total seriousness that looked so completely out of place on her normally care free face that Morgan had to laugh. Garcia was undeterred.

"This guy has a problem with the law."

"I thought as much"

"You're the law"

Morgan couldn't argue with that, and knew, selfish as it seemed, personal safety had been on everyone's minds. If this guy wanted to 'move onto higher things'… well, he was about to be delivered a team of the BAU's finest.

"You know I'll be fine" Morgan stated so firmly that she was almost instantly comforted, "and you know I'll be missing you baby girl"

"Who wouldn't? Anyway, I didn't install that personal webcam of yours for fun, now get that money maker moving, you're going to miss your plane"

Garcia smiled to herself long after Morgan had left her office.

………

The team marched into the New York police department, getting the usual looks, JJ giving out the usual introductions and receiving the usual formalities, and yet they could sense how exceedingly _un_usual this case was. They'd all looked closer at the case on the plane journey there and realized they were dealing with something… disturbingly different. An alarming amount of overkill was evident that made even Emily recoil at first glance. And the video… it made Tobias Hankle like a babysitter. A man spun around to face them whilst slamming down a phone.

"Detective Parker, You must be the BAU" stated a stern suited man, not unlike Hotch. They all felt a pang of compassion; this was the kidnapped detective's partner. "Look - hate to be brash - there's been an anonymous tip off of another victim down town, two miles from here, in an empty office block basement - same MO. Another cop. I'm sure you'll want to join us."

"Of course." Hotch took control straight away, "Morgan, JJ, you're with me, Emily and Reid, you can stay here and see what you can make of the symbols on the victims bodies" A wall of disappointment and relief hit Reid when he realized: he wasn't being paired with JJ - but would have no unprofessional (albeit beautiful) distractions from the task at hand. JJ squeezed his arm as she left ("tell me what the coffees like when I get back") and Reid caught an unsurprising wink from Morgan. He sighed exasperatedly, inwardly deeply enjoying the fact that his friend thought highly enough of him to believe it could ever happen.

………

"_Damn_"

Morgan was first down the stairs, CSI had lit up the dungeon-like space to reveal a suspended, shirtless and clearly tortured body, hanging from a rafter. A huge symbol had been etched on his chest - blood, not ink.

"They've given up on subtlety, that's for sure" he shouted up. Hotch leaned down to take a look, keeping his face, as always, indifferent, while his heart sunk.

"Morgan… profile every inch of that basement, JJ's handling the press outside the best she can, someone's tipped them off… god knows how they knew, I'm going to see what else I can find up here"

"Got it" Morgan confirmed. He always seemed to pick the short straw in creepy situations he thought to himself, taking in the symbols on the unfortunate corpse above him.

………

"Down here, Reidy"

"Excuse me?"

"Thought you might want a nickname?"

"Well… No Garcia"

"_Doctor Spencer Reid_ it is then" she mused. The ease of video conferencing via laptops never let Garcia feel out of spin for too long. "Well _Doctor Spencer Reid_, I have some superbly digitally re-mastered shots on their way to you, in chronological order, right this very moment, oh and my character recognition software says… Greek, but I'm sure you have deduced as much already, oh mighty _Doctor Spencer Reid_"

Emily laughed at his mild annoyance, marveling at Reid's inability to be wrong about anything and Garcia's innate understanding of his predictability.

"OK I'm getting them now… and Garcia… you don't have to address me by my full title"

Garcia sighed, saving the 'it's a good job you're handsome' speech for another day.

"I know sweetness; I'm just passing the time."

Nine images popped up onto the screen in a string

**Πρώτα - γρίφος - κομμάτι - Γιατρός - θάνατος - είναι - πολύ - εκρηκτικός - δόλωμα**

"That's… that's very strange."

"No kidding"

"Garcia…"

Emily glanced curiously at Reid, he was growing alarmingly pale.

"Reid… what's it say?"

To the average, none multi-lingual-genius it was just a string of foreign symbols. Reid began to translate; Emily couldn't help noticing he was shaking.

"**First - puzzle - piece - doctor - Death - is - very - explosive - bait"**

There was an unnaturally silent pause; Garcia's tinny voice filled the hole.

"…Who the hells Doctor Death?"

"Death has a capital letter… I think it's the start of a new sentence. I think I'm the Doctor. I think it's a clue… or a warning."

"You think…?"

Reid suddenly lunged across a desk for the nearest phone, punching in Hotch's number and sickening at every ring, trying in vain to do anything but think. Emily and Garcia held their breath, attempting the same. He had noticed immediately how strange it was - the minute they get here - a fatality anonymously called in? Why didn't he mention it? Had his team been baited into a trap? The guilt would stay with him forever, it would destroy him. His worst nightmare was anything happening, _anything,_ to his mentor, his best friend and the woman he truly did love.

………

Hotch read 'Reid' on his caller display and picked up while opening another decrepit old empty cupboard at the back of another decrepit old empty room, mildly surprised he could get cell signal this far into the building and mildly irritated that the place had proved completely bare so far.

"Hotch"

"Hotch get out of there, _get-out-of-that-building_, don't ask why, get everyone out NOW!"

For a moment he thought about reprimanding the young agent for his lack of cell phone etiquette

then he felt a diminutive click as he fully opened the decrepit old empty cupboard

then he was face to face with a hulk of black machinery and wires

then he spotted the timer quickly decreasing from "0:10"

and then there was no time to think.

"EVACUATE – EVERYONE OUT _NOW_, THERE'S A BOMB!"

Hotch bellowed this into his radio while sprinting faster than he imagined humanly possible, through the halls and out of the building, camera crews initially fervently recording the first few escapees, then panicking at the sheer chaos spread from people literally diving out of the office block. All he needed to repeat to the barricade of reporters as he ran towards them was the word 'bomb'. Everyone fled. JJ held back for her boss as long as she dared, he caught up with her, scanning the area and realization destroying the impenetrable fortress that was his calm demeanor. He grabbed her and held her still.

"What are you _doing_???"

"MORGAN??!"

The timer only gave JJ one last second to look back utterly horrified – for an instant they were drowned in silence - followed by a deafening blow of such force that - despite the impressive distance they had managed to put between themselves and it- they were thrown viciously to the ground. Debris flew over their heads narrowly missing them and they turned around to see the plot engulfed in flames.

"**MORGAN!!"**

………


	2. Why

_Thank you__ so much for the reviews and alerts, I never expected it! They've really made me write this as soon as I got the chance, let me know if the next chapters okay :) (Apologies for the odd bits of swearing, just trying to keep it realistic)_

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 2: Why**

………

Reid's whole body shook. Why? Of all the people, why take the bravest, most honest man he knew. He finished his phone call with Hotch and forced himself to look up at Emily, not even daring to look at Garcia's video feed.

"That was Hotch right? So they're ok?"

"Reid, come on hun, don't leave us hanging like this"  
He wished desperately he didn't have to say this in front of Garcia, even with the computer screen divide… it wasn't that he thought Emily wouldn't care, of course she would. But it was Garcia. You'd have to be living under a rock not to notice how deeply she cared for the man, rumours of romance true or not.

"JJ and Hotch are fine… but…" Emily's face fell; he still didn't dare look at the laptop. "Hotch said Morgan was in the basement… he would have heard the warning on the radio but whether…" saying it out loud exposed a rebellious tear that he had been successfully keeping back for some time now. Thinking about how much Morgan would mock him for crying about this forced out another. "…they're putting out the last of the fires and already searching the building. Paramedics are on stand by." he finished quietly, utterly miserable. Emily sat down and put her head in her hands, silent. It took sheer will power but Reid finally forced himself to look at the video feed, to attempt some words of hope to the woman who had helped him, helped them all, through so much. It had been switched off. Somehow, it broke his heart even more.

………

"How could one bomb…one bomb, do all of this?"

"Surely. _Surely_ there's a chance he's ok?" JJ looked tentatively at her boss. She couldn't bear to think otherwise but waited for the sharp jolt back to reality her boss would no doubt give her.

"There's no proof that he isn't" Hotch said, staring into the crumbling, fiery remains of the office block. The irony wasn't lost on JJ either. This building didn't take any prisoners.

"…We'll find him." Hotch was suddenly spurred into action, ordering search parties around, running through debris himself, checking every single paramedic was ready for action. JJ watched her boss with admiration, noting how quickly logic was thrown out of the window when it was a loved one that was endangered. She thought, logically, about the infinitesimally small chance that Morgan had got himself out of the building unscathed. And then thought about how much the team loved him. They'd find him.

………

She had turned off the video feed at the word 'but'. The screens were blurred into a bright white and blue haze in front of her. She hadn't even taken off her glasses. She hadn't even noticed the tears rolling off her face onto her precious babies' keyboard. She hadn't even told him how much she loved him.

For the first time in her life she felt like hitting her computers, tearing them down, doing something entirely illogical and destructive. Anything to stop asking why… why? What a stupid question. Pull yourself together girl. There's no why, there's just wrong place at the wrong time. Minutes past, how many she didn't really notice, but it was enough for her to begin to think rationally. So there was an explosion… they hadn't found a body… no news was good news right? She felt so useless so far away… she snatched up her phone and hit the speed dial, her heart stuck in her mouth as it rang. Eventually it cut off and without thinking she hit redial. She'd do this forever if she had to.

………

_**20 minutes earlier**_

_Morgan had spent enough time with the hanging corpse to last him a lifetime. He felt almost guilty about leaving the poor guy down there alone, nonetheless__ he still felt slightly relieved as he ascended the basement stairs. He'd done all he could down there (more over-kill, yet meticulously organised, possibly different killer but definitely knows the first…) He'd let the CSI guys take down the body and start the post mortem, though the giant slash to the throat could be a clue, he thought darkly. He decided to take the elevator to the top floor and take a look around there; for all they knew this could be this sicko's headquarters. He was just laughing to himself about the time he and Reid got stuck in a lift (he didn't care what the genius said - Reid freaked first) when it jolted to a stop at the second floor._

"_Jesus… you are testing me today." He began to prise the doors open, quietly thankful it hadn't decided to stop __in-between two floors - when the radio on his belt crackled into life.  
__"EVACUATE – EVERYONE OUT __NOW__, THERE'S A BOMB!"_

"_Not today. NO!" He began to force open the doors with far more urgency. "Come on, Jesus, COME ON!" He forced an arm through and then his torso, using his body as a lever to get the doors open. He finally squeezed out through a surprisingly small gap for his build and ran blindly ran down corridor after corridor in fully fledged panic, cursing profusely as he came to a dead end at the back of the building. There was no other way. Trying very hard not to remember if Reid had told him any statistics about fatality rates and two-storey falls, he covered his arm with his jacket and smashed through the window, took one look back and then jumped. There wasn't enough time to say anything as he fell through the air towards the ground, instinctively tucking himself into a ball and pulling off a less than graceful roll across the ground. It hurt almost unbearably but he was still mildly impressed with himself and he took off, running on sheer adrenaline and ignoring his limbs that screamed for him to stop. He felt an almighty force shake the ground beneath him, followed directly by a deafening blow. He managed to keep on two feet, and looked back over his shoulder just in time to see a huge shaft of wood from one of the boarded up windows, sail through the air heading straight for him. This time there was just enough time say something, and he chose his words carefully._

"_Fucking he-"_

_He was out cold, stuck firmly underneath more falling building. His phone begun to vibrate, and fell out of his pocket._

………

The search party members, paramedics, cops, press and anyone in a mile radius were all officially afraid of the stern suited man from the BAU, but that seemed to be the only real progress made, JJ thought sadly. She hadn't got a call off Spencer yet, and felt oddly disappointed, although she could understand in present circumstances… he knew she was ok - everyone was, rightly so, totally focused on finding Morgan. She dialed Garcia, thinking of what she could possibly say to comfort her dear friend, but the line was engaged. JJ frowned, but had no chance to pursue the mystery further as she noticed one of the volunteer civilians running furiously towards Hotch, shouting.

"We've got a black male, an agent I think – we've got a pulse!"

………

"Oh my God, oh my God, Reid, that's brilliant!"

"It really is…" Reid finished his second phone call with Hotch that day, noting it was far better than the first. Relief had flooded him, more powerful and welcome than any kind of drug. "A volunteer found him, he's trapped under some rubble but they'll have him on a stretcher soon enough… he'd bruised and they'll no doubt be some broken bones but the prognosis is a full recovery." He smiled at Emily. She beamed back. "I'm just calling Garcia…"

"She's not picking up?"

Reid put down the phone, confused.

"She's engaged…"

………

Morgan woke up abruptly to the most painful headache he'd ever experienced.

_Pain. I'm alive then. That's a start._

"He's lost a lot of blood... it's a nasty head wound and they bleed like nothing else, but he should make it, get a stretcher stat, there's no way we'll get a vehicle over this rubble."

_Well… I'm not blind. That's also progress. But I can't move… That can't be good._

"He's coming to, get me some morphine and get rid of that debris NOW"

_Jesus Christ that hurts_

"Agent Morgan, please don't try to move, you're seriously injured, you've suffered quite a blow"

_No kidding…_

"Morgan! Derek! JJ, he looks dreadful."

_Fantastic diagnosis Hotch... isn't that my phone?_

"1…2…3 LIFT"

"I cannot thank you enough Mr. White; you really have saved his life"

"It's the least I could do, I do hope he is ok, I can see just how much he would have been missed"

"Right lets move, tell them to get the blood packs ready, do it now!"

Morgan had just enough time before he was carried away to let his head fall to the side and read the '23 missed calls' message on the front of his cell phone. He smiled.

_Boy am I in trouble. She is gonna kick my ass._

………__

"_No fatalities? I was told this explosion would wipe them out"_

"_Afraid not sir, we nearly got an agent but he escaped through the window on the northern side. I found him but had to report it, I was with another volunteer"_

"_It was an incredible waste of time, effort and money then."_

"_Not entirely sir… we did discover a huge weakness all the members possess"_

"_Go on"_

"_Each other"_

_He sighed heavily. They fail, then they make him endure this cliqued bullshit to try and redeem themselves._

"_You brought this on yourself, white."_

"_But si-"_

_People argued less, he had found, with a bullet between their eyes. Nonetheless, White had given him something to think about. Cold blooded cop killings had got their attention sufficiently. Now the real games would begin._

………__


	3. Sleep

_Thank you for the alerts and __reviews; this is my first fan fic so it means a lot :)_

_A/N: Regrettably I still don't own criminal minds, and credit to wikipedia for the facts that only Dr Reid could know._

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 3: Sleep**

………

"_I'm in Georgia, Sir"_

"_Good, is 13 in place?"_

"_Yes Sir, I wont be detected"_

"_Call me when it's done"_

………

"But I was out cold…. I was UNCONCIOUS! Look baby girl you know you would have been the first to kn-… they couldn't get through to you because you were calling _me_!... how could I have possibly picked up the phone?...yes I'm fine… no really, I'm _fine_… oh will you?!"

Reid grinned as he slid through the hospital door, Morgan looked up stunned.

"She hung up on me!"

"Lovers tiff?" he laughed, trying to work out whether the look Morgan gave him said yes or no, "how are you feeling? Hotch is on his way now, JJ's going back to the station… how on earth are you still alive?"

"No idea man… I'll be making more than my fair share of blood donations once I'm out of here though"

"Well… it looks like you suffered a class 3 type haemorrhage, recoveries fast as long as the blood transfusion is successful-"

"Reid, I'm warning you, I'm gonna pay as much attention to you, as I did to the last 3 doctors-"

"Sorry if I can't take you seriously in that particular shade of lilac." Morgan looked down at his all too revealing hospital gown and they both gave in and laughed, Reid enormously relieved to have his friend back to torment him.

"How are you holding up?" Hotch entered, looking ever so slightly relaxed, which they took as sheer joy on his part.

"Pretty damn good after diving out of an exploding building." Hotch gave a rare smile. "Oh yeah, Reid, the victim, he had another word but it was huge on his torso this time… there were 2 puzzle pieces and then a word in capital letters... looked like K-A-T then an upside down U…"  
"puzzle piece number two? hmm…all I can think of is ΚΑΤΩ … greek for DOWN?"

"Hey, you're the genius… looks like they got rid of our crime scene pretty efficiently though?"

"CSI got pictures, lifted some good prints and collected any loose evidence, it's not a complete loss… and I don't think it was the evidence they were trying to destroy. Afraid we're going to have to leave you Derek, we need to keep working this case… I'm not sure anyone realises how serious this could turn out. This is very different to anything with handled."

"Understood… I'll be with you as soon as these guys let me" Morgan replied, with a less than friendly nod to a huge, irate looking nurse stood outside the window, who gave Hotch and Reid equally unfriendly stares on their ways out.

………

_He found the door he was looking for and slid in un-noticed._

"_I don't care what state you were in you could have picked up… you're ok though…? Derek, please…? Good, ok... I will make you pay for worrying me like this though!-"_

_He snatched the phone out of the technician's grasp and threw it onto the receiver, then knocked it off the hook._

"_What the- ?"_

_The overwhelming happiness Garcia had felt after finding Morgan was safe was extinguished as she spun around to look straight down the barrel of a gun. She sat frozen with fear as the man nonchalantly fixed on a silencer and held it up to her head._

"_Don't make me hurt you."_

………

"How's Morgan?"

"Not too bad, he should be out in the next few days, maybe not in the field for a while… and sorry I didn't call… I'm really glad you're ok" Spencer finished weakly, JJ smiled back nonetheless. She and Emily had spread all the crime scene photos out on the board next to the previous victims and their post mortem details. There was another body.

"Single gun shot to the head, dumped a couple of blocks from here" Emily said in answer to their quizzical looks. "I know, different MO, but he had this tattooed onto his ring finger." She held a close up, with the symbol 'λβ'

"32"

"A number? There's got to be a reason for all this… why Greek?… why these men?... Reid?" He had walked up to the board and was squinting at the post mortem notes for each of the victims.

"That number was 4 years old… the victims were marked after death. The cops were tools to get our attention, and to taunt us. The only implication I can find so far from this latest killing is… I don't know, he was one of the killers?" He seemed to think very carefully about what he was saying. "This is a theory but… it could be a sort of cult, an anti-government group, I know the anti-law part goes without saying and is the most common grudge to have in this country, but it would be naive to think it was one un-sub anymore. It seems more like a group with a common goal." Hotch stared at the close up darkly.

"23… the only implication I can see there is there's a lot of them"

"We can't profile that many people… we just can't."

"We can profile the kind of people that would be in this cult, get Garcia to search every anti-government group in the country." Reid let Emily and Hotch talk it out in the background. He'd noticed something while checking the symbol Morgan had told him about, under the feet of the victim in the basement; he'd simply looked down like they wanted him to.

"JJ… what's that?"

"Oh, that's quite odd, it's a fortune cookie, it just came back actually; negative for prints… hey, guys! The prints have just come back from the basement, you can run them through codas here, it's just down the hall"

"Garcia?"

"She's engaged… no doubt a personal call" JJ smiled to herself whilst searching through the evidence box, Hotch muttered about times and places while he strode down the hall. "Here you are Spence… what are you doing?" Without thinking Reid cracked open the fortune cookie and unrolled the tiny piece of paper within.

"_Keep your friends close, Doctor, and your enemies closer."_

………

"_Those are protected files-"_

"_Penelope, dear, I have warned you"_

"_It's just… they're useless, you won't be able to open them unless you're on a government specified system"_

"_Let me worry about that"_

………

They had discussed the new message, cults, the Greek symbols and the deaths over and over until each one felt they knew the crime better than the perpetrator and had to call it a day. A very disgruntled Hotch had no luck with the New York technicians and retired to his room, Emily and JJ went up soon after. Sleep however, not for the first time, completely evaded Reid. He knew he had to work this clue out… but it couldn't be that vital, they risked it being blown up or just not found, he'd work it out once he'd slept but he just couldn't. He spread out on his bed and let his mind wander to his favourite memory; it had been a month ago, in Las Vegas. A fairly routine case, as cases go. They'd finished and decided to go out for some celebratory drinks before the flight back in the morning… JJ ended up coming back to his, to play some late night cards. She also ended up staying the night. He smiled to himself. It was perfect. Her long blonde hair had fell in front of her face, he reached towards her and pushed it behind her ears, his hand lingering at her neck… he remembered how sweet she smelt that night, how big her eyes were when they were so close. … He was confident enough after a few drinks, why couldn't it just happen again? They'd talked about it briefly, about it jeopardizing their careers, not to mention their friendships, all very logical and sensible. But that was before the night in Vegas. He was just quite happily getting to sleep when there was a knock on the door. He opened it to possibly the best sight he could have hoped for. She was holding a pack of cards.

"I couldn't sleep."

………

Morgan twisted and turned in his bed. His body ached, but really he was lonely. He was desperate to call Garcia but he knew this was a competition. Who could go the longest. After a few more sleepless minutes he swallowed his pride and picked up the phone, putting it back down disappointedly, on finding her engaged.

"Guess they've got her working late tonight"

………

_He finally picked up the phone, put it back on the receiver, then began to dial._

"_You have the locations, the files?"_

"_Yes Sir"_

"_Good"_

"_What shall I do with the tech?"_

"_Put her to sleep"_

………


	4. Morning

_Sorry about the longish wait, thank you to everyone on the alerts list and the reviews, hopefully you're reading this. Feel free to let me know where im going wrong (or maybe even right!) I'm not just writing aimlessly I promise, all will make sense in the end._

_A/N: Nope, still not mine._

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 4: Morning**

………

_Morning_

Garcia blinked slowly a couple of times, and then opened her eyes. Her temples felt like they were caught in a vice. She lay on the desk for a while, listening to the steady, painful throbbing inside her head. The realization of what had just come to pass hit her with a jolt. She tried to lunge towards the phone but whatever that ghastly man had injected her with was still working its way through her system - she could barely move. She managed to pull her glasses level and with a huge effort craned her neck upwards towards the nearest computer screen. She swore, loudly and profusely at the taunting message flashing back at her.

_Morning_

She was reminded horribly of the last time the computers had been compromised. She couldn't bear to go through that again. Why hadn't anyone checked on her? Why hadn't anybody seen that man entering her office? What the hell was that doing on _her_ computer?

She inwardly cursed herself for her policy on knocking –"sure, if the buildings on fire"- and began to call for help.

………

"Morning"

Reid jumped, startled, and then smiled when he remembered whose company he was sharing. He rolled over and turned to face his fellow agent, making sure to memorize every happy detail. He squinted slightly in the light, trying not to imagine what he looked like. Her beautiful blonde hair suited the morning sunlight-coming in slants through the half shut blinds-very well. He guessed it would look beautiful under any light. But was this just one rash night, another to dwell on alone for months after? Could this become a regular occurrence? Did she even like him? He looked deep into his favourite blue eyes, searching for an answer. One of the countries top psychological profilers, he thought to himself, and he didn't have a clue.

"How are you feeling?" she said, only loud enough for the two of them to hear.

"Oh… pretty good. Coffee?"

"Cant function without it" she smiled jestingly back at him. They lay together simply for another minute or so. The sun that was backlighting her hair so perfectly had lit tiny bright orange flecks in his eyes that she had never seen before. His hair was the type that suited the 'bed head' look to a tee. She wished he knew how good he looked. She felt her own hair, suddenly conscious of how unkempt she must appear.

"I'm gonna grab a quick shower… that alright Spence?"

"Course Jen, I'll put the kettle on." Almost anything would have been alright with him right now.

"Jen??" She was so used to JJ that she barely recognised her shortened first name.

"I'm just trying it out" he replied, as he eased himself out of their bed, much more awake than she'd ever see him get off the jet, he was well known for being the worst to wake. She laughed a little.

"We'll see."

………

"_Was that an act of mercy?"_

"_Are you questioning me?"_

"_No! No Sir, I just…"_

"_They would have been sitting ducks if I had you remove their technician. This is a game, a war, and he will find no pleasure in a one sided one. Has 13 left? And 5, is she suspected?"_

"_No Sir, 13 got me through Quantico perfectly, he even convinced the other security guards to lock up without checking in on her__, he left after seeing to things last night in case inferred. I suppose they will find her in the morning… And no suspicions have been raised in New York."_

"_I didn't expect there to be. They are professionals."_

"_Of course Sir… have any more orders been passed down __from our Father?"_

"_You will find out yours from 6, Alixandra, as always."_

"_Of course Sir"_

………

"Can you stretch your fingers out for me? Good, now close them tight into a fist. Good… good."

Not a wise move, Garcia thought to herself, glaring at the portly medic, whom she would have liked very much to have punched for the past 15 minutes.

"Now how are you feeling? Good?"

"Better if I could get to a telephone" Penelope replied curtly. Her head throbbed, not from the attack, but from sheer indignation and fear for what this man was going to do with that information. She needed to hear her team. She needed Morgan. Granted, the security team has been efficient, as soon as she was found paramedics were on the scene, she had been interviewed at length by a number of agents, she told them precisely what files had been taken and already had a sketch artist take extremely long notes. They'd even called Hotch apparently. But _she_ wanted to call Hotch. She wasn't going to sleep until she caught this guy and she needed to get back into her office, _now_.

"Well, you're mobility's back and the sedative used doesn't have any real after effects… you seem-"

"-Good?" Garcia stared her down, daring her to keep her away from her machines for another second. The nurse shrunk back slightly, refraining from finishing her sentence. A male voice started instead

"Miss Garcia… we can't find this man you talk about anywhere." One of the agents that had interviewed her earlier had just appeared at her shoulder as she turned to return back to her office. She sensed an air of guilt that she had felt many times before, especially just prior to seeing Reid knock a sugar saturated coffee flying near, or sometimes _over_, her 'babies' (resulting in a ban that had him shouting questions from the threshold of her office for another week, much to her amusement) She felt a painful stab inside her upon this reminiscence, a mixture of fondness and acute worry that made finding this thief even more urgent. She gave the agent the same look she'd just given the paramedic, this time daring him to withhold any kind of information involving her beloved team. "It's not that he isn't on them. But we've lost the tapes. Back-ups, outside, everything." Unbidden and uncharacterised feelings of hopelessness crept into her heart. She nodded grimly.

"I'll be in my office, making some phone calls."

………

"WHAT?"

"Morgan, please sit down"

"Hotch, its _Garcia_! I _swear_ if they've touched a hair on her head-"

"Derek listen to me, it's under control now, she's safe, there's nothing we can do and this is-not-helping"

"Oh she's safe is she? As safe as she was last night? I'm calling her"

"Morgan, she's being interviewed, they've already lost the tapes, they're trying to catch this guy, _do not_ hinder them" Morgan stopped shouting, though he still looked furious and incredibly intimidating, not helped by the cuts and bruises he was still clearly sporting from jumping out a two storey building the previous morning. He was defeated for now, and threw himself into the nearest chair, not completely masking the involuntary wince… his body really didn't need anymore falls. A normal person with a normal job would be still lying comfortably in a hospital bed. Morgan scoffed at the though. _Normal_. They couldn't be further from it.

JJ, Reid and Emily had watched the heated discussion miserably. All the happiness from the semi secret couples night had been expelled. Hotch started to speak again.

"Look I'm as upset as you are" Reid looked over to his friend, the hand in his pocket undoubtedly clutching his phone, his eye trained on the one on the desk. He doubted if Hotch actually was as upset as Morgan. This upset went deeper than concern for a close friend… "But it seems that this impostor was infact merciful, compared to what we've seen so far. He held her at gun point but she never gave him any reason to hurt her and… she was sedated by injection once he had the files he need." An outsider may have thought this as a slightly thoughtless account but they understood Hotch. He was one of them.

"What… what files did he take?" Reid tried to veer away from what happened to Garcia, it was far too raw at the present moment.

"Personal files… all our files. He knows where we are staying, where we live, our hours… obviously we have been moved to a safe house in New York, it's nearer to the station actually. And any family have been moved to safe houses back in Georgia." They guessed he was speaking for himself there, as none of them had any one living with them back home. All but Emily were clearly transported back to the last unsub that got hold of their personal details. They had ultimately lost Elle because of it; it was a sore subject, tactfully not brought up in front of Emily. She was accepted these days completely into the team (that was more like a family) no doubt about it, but she still was evidently uneasy on hearing about the woman she had replaced, and probably always would be. With all the security Garcia had installed since it wasn't surprising someone had to physically get it by gunpoint from the system. "I know this has been the worst possible start to the day, but we need to carry on with this case, I think this proves how urg-" Morgan sprung up and snatched the phone up; it had barely a chance to ring.

"Penelope!"

_"Ohhhh, muuch better. Started answering the phone huh?"_ Relief spread across his face, making him look instantly more approachable.

"How're you doing baby girl? You're ok right?"

"_I could get used to this kind of attention"_

"Oh don't act like I don't give you attention"

"_Ah you're right, you're infatuated"_

"You better believe it" Although they couldn't hear her replies, Morgan grew conscious of his teams attention, the official looking woman who had just walked up to them cleared her throat for the second time. "Look baby, I've gotta go… I'll, _we'll_ call you as soon as we can. We're gonna find this scumbag"

"I'm on it sweet cheeks, I shall not rest until we have him"

"Neither will I" Morgan finished, with slightly more menace than was usual. But it was just an outlet for his concern. Heaven help the man who had held Penelope Garcia. He turned impatiently to face the blonde woman about to address them all. Reid had noticed her around before, mainly because she was so much in likeness to JJ. But now that he saw her up close he realised how different they were. Yes, she had long straight blonde hair and striking blue eyes. But her eyes were cold, devoid of emotion. She had a sharp, strong face that, although it looked amiable enough at the moment, Reid suspected could be quite formidable. She spoke confidently enough though, in a business like manner, deeply and with authority. Reid decided to stop over analysing.

"Agent Ruth Guy, I'm part of the clean up for this morning." It wasn't an accusation as such, but she did earn an automatic dislike from Morgan at the very least. "This is the address and directions to your new safe house, where you will be _all _staying, your personal affects have been moved there already. There are numbers to the safe house in Georgia where your wife and child are staying too." She addressed this to Hotch, handing him the file. He frowned at the mention of his family, naturally not long enough for any of them to distinguish anything from it. She looked at him sympathetically before she went and Reid still couldn't help analysing. It didn't suit her face.

………

"_Father"_

_It was a long time before the older man acknowledged his addresser. He had been watching them cope with the news about their fellow agents little ordeal. It was quite entertaining. The well built, black agent seemed to have a particular attachment towards her. Agent Morgan… he might have to look out for him. He was half way through watching the nights tapes again when he was interrupted. He sighed, reluctant to be pulled away from watching the people he was having so much fun playing with. He felt almost alive again. He glided into the light; the only sound echoed eerily off the walls. It was the mechanics of his chair moving him smoothly, steadily, forwards. It was an expensive chair, but then it wasn't like money was the object. His bright orange scrutinizing eyes compelled the man to hurry._

"_Is it time yet?"_

"_I need to watch them longer. I have not decided yet. It is all going to plan so far."_

"_And the captive?"_

"_Yes that must be acted upon now. Play the video stream. __You know what to do. We'll see how they handle this."_

_The visitor bowed, understanding he had outstayed his welcome. Such submission looked odd on the muscular, brutal looking man. But, as he straightened up and turned to leave, his unnervingly pale blue eyes showed no contempt or falseness. Nearer reverence._

………

Emily had left the team brainstorming and decided to talk to Detective Parker. After all, none of them had gotten a chance to even hold a real conversation with him, since the eventful arrival yesterday morning. She entered his office slowly, it was unnaturally dark for the late sunny morning outside, his blinds were almost shut, and she immediately noticed the laptop on his desk, open and streaming the video of his kidnapped comrade. She remembered what the team had gone through when this was Reid, when they were in Detective Parkers' position, even as a new member back then, and felt real empathy for him. He looked up and managed a short smile, and got up to shake her hand.

"Agent Prentiss, isn't it?"

"Oh... Emily's fine" His effort to be good natured at a time like this made her feel obliged to offer some kind of affability to him. He smiled at this small token.

"I'm Jonathon… Johns better."

"He's…" Emily has looked sideways to the laptop and was at a loss to what to say. "He's still alive." She finished, feeling more than inadequate. John didn't seem to hold it against her.

"Be thankful for small mercies, hey?" He dropped the attempt at optimism and began to speak in a much lower tone. "I'd do anything… for it to be me… seeing my colleague, my best friend, knowing he's at deaths door and not being able to do anything… well. I'd rather it be me." He said it with such sincerity that Emily simply stared at him for a few seconds. He was a very handsome man.

"That's incredibly brave… and I'm sure your friend would say the same, if that were true" He looked down at his clasped hands. With a stab of disappointment Emily noticed a thick gold wedding band on his ring finger. He noticed her staring and went out on a limb.

"Nah, not me. I'm a widower." Emily turned violet.

"Oh God I am so sorry."

"Don't be, it was years ago, it was peaceful. I wear it out of habit these days." The phone cut rudely into the oddly personal conversation. Emily was incredibly glad to be saved from a reply, although this began to fade once he'd slammed the phone down, the colour drained from his face. They both looked at the laptop, both caught by a movement in the corner of their eyes. A tall hooded man had entered the picture. He was holding a gun.

"What did the phone call s-?

"-Number 2, Madison Avenue. 26th Street. 2 blocks away." Without another word he had leapt up, grabbed his gun and badge, and was out. Emily close behind. It was a race.

………


	5. Race

_Sorry about the wait, have been working all week, but here we are :) as always, alerts and reviews make it worth writing_

……….

**Forever**

**Chapter 5: Race**

……….

The huge black SUV burst onto the main road, sirens screaming; lights a blue and red blaze, and accelerated faster than seemed physically possible down the main road. 2 blocks seemed like such an unfeasible distance. Glimpses of the faces of dazed pedestrians could be caught for a split second before they were gone in an instant, into the blur of the sidewalk speeding by.

Detective Jonathon Parker sat in the passenger seat next to the impressive police driver, staring into the distance. It seemed like every bone in his body was willing them to win this sick race. Emily, Hotch and Morgan were in the back. Despite the intimacy of his and Emily's conversation not 5 minutes ago, she felt… awkward. Reid might win the prize for best social outcast in the team pretty much hands down, but Emily had never been exactly at ease with people either. She ached with an unspoken empathy for John. They were one block away.

………

_He felt a familiar feeling. The sort of feeling __one gets when watching a familiar film. An urge to laugh before the punch line. He saw the SUV career into the parking lot of __Number 2, Madison Avenue, 26th Street, and his face began to crease into laughter._

………

"Reid-are we still good?"

Reid stared into the all too familiar scene on the laptop.

"Yeah… He's still alive Hotch. How long now?"

"We're here, we're pulling in, we just need to find him."

"I'd say low level, there are windows, but they're boarded up, it's like a room has been specifically designed to look like an outhouse. Think Tobias Hankle." They both ignored the connotations of this, although due mainly to urgency.

"Right we're in. I'll keep you on the line."

"You're on speaker" JJ tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around from the laptop for a moment. She spoke almost too fast for him to keep up.

"Spence- it's urgent, something just came in on the tip line. They couldn't trace the call, they can't even work out why not. They knew everything Spence, everything."

"What, how? There hasn't even been enough time-"

"-I know, then they left a message for 'The Doctor'..."

"What??"

"They said 'X marks the spot… Spencer, what does this mean?!"

Thoughts raced through his mind faster than the majority could even contemplate. A taunt, another trap, advice!? He turned back to the desk.

"Hotch, careful! We've received another clue… look out for an X. Any X character anywhere." Hotch told him he'd get the word out and he turned back to face JJ, answering her look of deepest worry. "It's not a trap JJ… the message is completely different. It's more like a challenge, a race." They both went back to staring at the unfortunate man on the screen, both feeling like a kind of horribly useless guardian angel.

………

Morgan's right leg was beginning to grow tired, especially after the trials his limbs had been through in the past few days, but a time had not come yet when Derek Morgan became bored of kicking down doors, and it was unlikely to come about now. And so he continued down the hall, door after door, with almost equal efficiency as before he came to New York, although he was almost completely running on adrenaline, not for the first time. Gotta stop doing that… can't be healthy, he thought to himself. Emilys voice shouted from the ground floor and he charged down.

"There's an X painted onto this door!"

Hotch and Morgan came flying down the corridor to meet each other, amongst a host of New York's finest police teams. He wondered if he'd seen so many guns in one hallway. Hotch picked up his phone once again.

"Reid, is it safe in there??"

"_He'__s still conscious, there's one armed suspect in there, the hooded one"_

"Break the door down."

"Don't mind if I do." Morgan was happy to oblige.

………

_The muscular, pale eyed man had entered the room to see what all the commotion was about._

"_Oh don't leave, Michael, you'll miss the punch line."_

_Number 2 really did have only 2 main interests. Keeping order and delivering revenge on those the party, and he, saw fit. He could not claim that he found his masters game playing methods particularly necessary, or amusing, though he commended the crueller aspects. Nevertheless he stayed._

"_As you wish, Father."_

_The man in the wheelchair began to laugh again._

………

Reid was practically shouting down the phone.

"He's still alive, do you have him? Hotch, just ANSWER?"

But he was answered with silence.

………

Morgan was first in. He burst into the room and his heart stopped. It had all been for nothing. He picked up the camera on a tripod in front of the chair and threw it into the wall before striding straight back out.

"Clear."

Emily and Hotch walked into the room and stared at the scene in front of them, completely and utterly shocked.

The corpse of the Detective was only just recognisable, it was clear he had been dead for several days now. His head had fallen backwards. He was cut and bruised roughly all over. However one clinical slash went across his neck, from ear to ear.

Taped to his torso was an A4 sheet of paper, with a crude dark red message scrawled upon it.

**"Too late"**

………

_2 had left, the old man decided to keep watching the screens. He had become one step closer to making a decision. It would not be __Agent Morgan, he was uncontrollable. Entertaining all the same, but more so on camera than here. He turned on some more screens to see if 5 had indeed installed the cameras yet._

………

The team filed into the station miserably, Reid and JJ - having been briefed by Hotch in the considerably longer drive back, met them with equal misery.

"When I get my hands on this son of a bitch…" Morgan looked up at Hotch, sensing he needed to talk.

"This is not one unsub… this level of organisation suggests a… well… an organisation. This only highlights the absolute need for a working profile." Emily cut in.

"But Hotch… the man they found dead yesterday had the number 32! If we assume that is some sort of ranking system… how can we profile that many people?"

"There must be a leader. There are uncountable textbooks written on the structure and psychology of anti government organisations and delusions and we have Garcia scouring the internet for any scrap of information. We will profile each crime scene as if it were once person, and identify what level we think each killer was. Reid, work on the clues, see if there are any underlying messages. JJ, victimology, any connections, any particular government branch they belong too, how each one was killed. Morgan and Prentiss, we'll go back to old crime scenes and begin a working time line, work out what was the stresser for starting this organisation. I'm bringing Garcia in."

At the mention of Garcia, Morgan's attention increased a little too obviously.

"She'll be here tomorrow, this place has some of the best technology in the company, but they don't have Garcia."

They could all agree on that.

"One last thing… so far they have been one step ahead of us every time. For someone to infiltrate the BAU back in Quantico they must have had someone on the inside. And I have no doubts that there are officers here that belong to this organisation. I cannot stress this enough… trust no one, _no one_, but the team."

It wasn't much but it was a start. They immediately began working, each knowing it wasn't just stranger's lives that depended on it.

………

Finally at about 10 pm the team could take no more and decided to retire to there new safe house, escorted by the cold, blonde agent they had met earlier, who took them to their rooms and told them about the 24 hour protection they had at their aid, including her, although this didn't comfort Spencer a whole lot. JJ, Spencer and Morgan's were the last. JJ slowed down and touched Spencer's arm.

"Coffee and cards?"

He smiled deeply at the undertones in this innocent request. Unfortunately Morgan heard them too. Despite the disappointing day, he couldn't help himself.

"Enjoy your caffeine fuelled night of passion, my young lovers" he muttered, immensely amused with himself, and slipped into his room before Reid could retort.

………

Emily was restless. She remembered seeing John, _Detective Parker_, she reminded herself, for only a second after they found his partners body. She had tried in vain somewhere in the region of a sympathetic smile. She couldn't read his expression. It was so cruel… they had lost the race from the start. She grabbed her phone.

………

"JJ…You seem… different lately. Tired." She looked up at Spencer from behind her cards, not sure what to say at first. She took a long sip from her coffee to compensate. She felt so at ease with him, more so than any other man in her life. She didn't have to try hard for him, sex wasn't always essential as it was in so many relationships. Yet they had the best sexual connection that either of them could think of.

She wanted desperately to tell him what was on her mind… but it was so perfect right now. She was probably wrong.

"It's nothing Spence… it's just this case. It's got me on edge." He didn't look totally satisfied but whatever it was didn't seem that important to her, he decided to let her keep it to herself for now.

"Don't worry JJ… we'll work it out."

"I know… hey, 'Jen' didn't last long." He smiled, defeated.

"It's impossible"

"What like… beating me at cards?"

She flashed a row of aces and he threw a cushion at her playfully. She laughed out loud for the first time all day. She'd sort it out herself. It would be fine.

………

_He hadn't moved from his observation room all day. He watched with great pleasure, the two youngest agents play fighting and it was with some regret that the top left screen caught his eye. He isolated the sound on that particular feed and watched, growing angry. The dark haired agent, Emily, was laughing__ in a relieved kind of way; she had been on the phone for quite some time now. John? He knew these people inside out. It could be no one else. The 'detective' was going quite off script. It seemed almost a relationship could be growing under his very eyes… he was adamant not to change the plan but… one of them would have to be punished if this went on much further. He went back to watching Spencer's room._

………


	6. Two

_I've__ been away from the computer for about a week and it feels like forever! So sorry to anybody who's keeping up with this story, I try my best to reply to every reviewer and update every few days, don't worry it wont happen again!_

_Oh and I don't own anything criminal minds… boo._

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 6: Two**

………

He'd only just awoken. There was a strange sound coming from the bathroom… it sounded like someone choking. He shouted.

"JJ?"

No answer. Spencer's heart sunk rapidly and he slid out of bed, silently snatching his gun out of the holster that lay religiously on the bedside table.

"Jennifer… JJ!?"

His gun cocked and aimed, he was about to kick down the en suites door when-

"Spence! What on earth?"

She wandered out in a lilac towel, a little pale, but unharmed none the less. She then burst into laughter, which was his cue to realise how ridiculous he looked stalking around the bedroom aiming a gun… in his boxers.

"Very sexy hun, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stop pointing that thing at me"

He turned crimson and put down his gun, trying to find his clothes, whilst she pulled him into a close embrace, an obvious unspoken "no clothes" rule. He wasn't going to give up without a fight though.

"What were you doing in there? You sounded like you were retching…"

"Ew- what- did you hear that? No… I'm just feeling a bit under the weather this morning… I just need some coffee… stop frowning at me!"

She hit him playfully on the arm and walked off, dropping her towel to get dressed. He was suitably distracted for now.

………

The pair failed dismally at avoiding Morgan at the door, Reid wouldn't have been surprised if the older agent had waited there all night for them to come out, dishevelled and suspicious looking, in the morning. He quickly filled Emily in on the journey to the station, who was particularly happy that morning, and then carried on teasing Reid, who finally silenced him by asking, 'why was he driving even faster than normal this morning', and 'was there anyone waiting at the station worth a speeding fine?'

Sure enough Derek's eyes lit up just a little too much for the worlds top profiling team not to notice when they were greeted at the station by their favourite technician.

"Morning comrades" she grinned at them, with the same excitement she always felt when on the field with the team, and gave them a strange wave, splitting her third and fourth fingers apart. Of course only Spencer understood and returned the gesture, delighted at the cautious glance Morgan gave the two, sensing a split second moment of jealousy of this private connection, which gave his partner away entirely.

"Klingon hun, don't fret" Garcia was the only other agent to notice.

"Right… that." Morgan made a mental note to Google this as soon as he got home. Hotch cleared his throat.

"Garcia… good to have you here, as always, your temporary New York office is just down the hallway… it _is_ pretty good" he stressed.

"I'll be the judge of that" she muttered, good naturedly all the same, and strode down the hallway. He carried on briefing the team.

"It does seem an impossible job at the moment, I know, but…we need to use everything we know about these types of organisations… especially the hierarchy. We need to profile each separate member that we know of." Emily looked around and voiced what they were all undoubtedly thinking.

"We don't have anything on anyone Hotch… no solid evidence of any set members." He still persisted.

"We know they have at least two people at Quantico. One of the security guards, the last to lock up before Garcia was- before the information was stolen." Reid noticed Morgan clench his fists. "-has now disappeared and the force back there are making every possible effort to track him down… he is quite clearly the culprit.

The fact that he had the confidence to completely blow his cover and run away like that, and that the man who held her had the sheer audacity to do it inside he FBI shows they have utter faith in their leader and protectors. This will be on a cult level.

The leader must have… a way with people that we have never seen before, and a circle of close and loyal supporters that keep the whole organisation in check."

The whole team stared at Hotch, committing every statement to their memory. It wasn't that they didn't know all this already; they were all equally competent profilers. Its just Hotch's briefs had a way of putting everything they all knew together into something that 'mere mortals', as Garcia would put it, could understand.

"Right… we need to elaborate on that, we'll start drawing out a map of possible structures, hone down the characteristics of particular members, start identifying possible spies… and don't ask anyone else about that unless you _really _have to."

They all understood that the last warning was specifically about the possibility of spies inside the very building, and it wasn't without some uneasiness that they all set out on their tasks.

………

"_Ah… your technician."_

"_Yes father. She is still able to work, as you requested."_

"_Good work 10… you are dismissed for now." 'Number ten', whom the man in the wheelchair had just been addressing, bowed, turned around and walked out of the room. He let go a breath he wasn't aware he was holding once in the hallway and his heart filled with pride at the compliment he had just received. Even his black, beetle-like eyes shone, filling with tears. Everything about this man was dark, everything apart from the unnaturally pale shade of his skin. He highlighted this by refusing to wear anything but black even on the most boiling days, without breaking a sweat; this paired with his skeletally long limbs gave him the ominous look, and nickname, of spider. _

"_Are you finished?" The huge startlingly-blue eyed man, who frequented these halls regularly, came round the corner, examining him._

"_Yes Sir, Yes"__ The blue eyes flashed but he did not question him further; he simply carried on into the room that only the most privileged could dream of entering._

"_Father…"_

"_2… we need a meeting. Here."_

"_Here? But Sir only the top ten have ever been allowed to ent-"  
"Don't you think I'm quite aware of this?"_

_He detected the tone in his master's voice and his heart quelled._

"_I'll ring Alixandra immediately; I'll make sure Spider stays."_

_The older mans jaw clenched, his eyes never moving from the only light in the room, the screens covering an entire wall now._

"_Don't you dare use their names on the phone… and I would rather you did not in my presence."_

"_I'm sorry father, deeply sorry. I shall call 6. 10 will stay."_

"_Better"_

_The huge bulky man kept his back bent till he was right out the door, not that his master had to turn around to check._

………

"I've run all the prints so far…" Hotch came back into the bull pen where the team had set up, files clutched in his hands.

"I guess they came up cold… an organisation with this level of control is meticulous, they wont make mistakes." Reid answered without turning round from the complex hypothetical structure he was drawing out on the board.

"One hit… I'm not sure whether it was a mistake either."

They all turned expectedly to the file Hotch had just opened. The man, 'Leonidas Jasper' had apparently been dead for 15 years. Morgan groaned.

"Another dead end"

"Maybe it's a clue…Leonidas is a Greek name" Reid stared at the file, his brain working overtime. "No... It's too simple…"

"-Spence" JJ cut into his private train of thought. "All the clues have been aimed at you... and they've been actual messages, not evidence."

"Yeah… yeah I guess so." Still Reid felt certain that nothing these people had done so far had been chance. Hotch carried on.

"Well anyway… Garcia's running him through every database I could possibly imagine and solving the mystery of his supposed death, either they made a mistake and we now know one of them has the know-how to skilfully change incredibly protected government files… or-" he looked at Reid and was at a loss of what to say. "-it's another… piece of their puzzle." He sighed and rubbed his eyes, the strain of the case, and of course -the problems he could never possibly talk about- beginning to take a toll. "Where's Emily?"

"Briefing the detective" Morgan said, getting back to a geographical map, ironically for the first time in the day _without_ a hint of suggestion.

………

She got up to leave, feeling suitably content that she'd kept the detective in the loop. He walked around her and went to open the door. His hand on the handle, but the door still closed.

"John…" Emily bit her lip. It had been years since she'd felt a connection like this with another man and he was making it incredibly hard for her to ignore it. Their faces were inches apart. She noticed he hadn't had a shave in a few days, well aware her brain was vainly trying to distract her by making pointless observations. It wasn't clear who made the first move and it didn't really matter because they were both kissing passionately in an instant. She pressed herself against his toned body and it stopped as quickly as it had started. Disappointment flooded her, but she saw in his eyes something else… it wasn't rejection.

"Not here." He muttered, only just audible to her. She nodded, inwardly berating herself for such a breach of colleague ethics. She consoled herself though, with whatever Reid and JJ got up to in their little nights in, and as she walked back into the bullpen, smiling at the though of such a perfect couple.

………

_He shook his head __disbelievingly. Had he not let 5 into his office to install the cameras? Did he not know even when he slept he was being watched, just like the other agents? He slammed a fist into the computer desk and turned his chair around to face the growing number of people with surprising agility._

"_Number 10… I have a job for you"_

_The man__ looked like he was about to faint with all the attention. He bowed past his spindly knees, and with a rare flush to his cheeks, faced his master._

"_Father. Anything… any-"_

"_There is a more imminent, smaller task at hand than the one we are about to discuss. 6, the detectives file please." A petite red haired woman, with a striking, pixie like face handed the man dubbed 'spider' a brown file out of a large messenger bag that she was not seen without. It was marked simply with the number 7. Perhaps if the room was full of FBI profilers, one of them may have noticed a moment's hesitation. But it was not in their nature to take note of human behaviour. They were not empathetic beings._

"_Bring him to me. It is time he was forcibly reminded where his loyalties lie."_

_10 left the room immediately. It was a while till anyone spoke._

"_Father… have you decided which agent yet?"_

_He stared at the screens, contemplating the question for a long time._

"_I have it down to two."_

………


	7. Choice

_Thank you to all the alerts and reviews, its awesome hearing what people think about this, and although I do have a plan I take it all into account!_

…_and Criminal __Minds is not mine, although I suppose I should add that my own characters are (not that I'd really want them, they're such bad guys)_

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 7: Choice**

………

The team had made some progress today; despite the increasingly paranoid case, it wasn't surprising that tonight their moods were a little lighter than of late. They had even been able to deliver a few working profiles, and it had been a while since they'd heard from he unsubs. The 'no news is good news' theory was a fairly popular one recently.

"So what d'ya say… we go indulge in the fine food of New York and Reid can try his hand at the art of chopsticks again" Morgan grinned at his college and got a none-too-enthusiastic look back, while the rest laughed, reminiscing upon Reid's last embarrassing attempt at Chinese cuisine. Hotch frowned.

"Derek… we are all being possibly stalked by a cult of anti government serial killers"

"Well, that's worst case scenario…" Their boss wasn't swayed.

"No… and you'll be back for the curfew."

"Curfew?!" Hotch raised an eyebrow towards his flippant attitude, inwardly wishing he could think the same way sometimes.

"11pm Derek… it's for our own safety." Morgan surrendered his case to his boss and turned to the other agents expectedly. JJ and Reid shook their heads, their after shift ritual, 'coffee and cards', barely a secret anymore. Emily pulled a face.

"Sorry Morgan, I just don't fancy it… I'm exhausted. Another night."

Derek sighed theatrically, yet still maintaining a barely masked sense of glee...

"Just me and you sweet cheeks"

"Ah… I thought you'd never ask"

……….

"_All but three are present in New York tonight… 5, 7 and 10. Two of them will join us shortly… I am sure you are all aware of the 'detectives'… unhappy circumstances."_

_He paused and looked around his table at the 12 people present. Of course, they had much more than this, much more. But the top 15 were far above the minions._

"_What we have worked towards for so long… it is close now. Everything is set… and I must reiterate this, my comrades. I do not intend for all of the team to die. We have watched them too long for that."_

_A man, 2 seats from the right, was avidly fixated on one of the __bottom safe house screens, on the far right. The man in the wheelchair took no notice; in fact every comrade seemed used to this behaviour… behaviour which would have meant grave disrespect on another person's part._

"_14… you swore an oath. If it comes down to it, you must. You know the punishment if you do not" The man begrudgingly wrenched his eyes away from the right hand screen and stared wistfully at his master. Leaving the punishment unspoken was a far more effective tool than telling him he would get a bullet between his eyes. They were all well aware of that._

……….

"I'm just- getting- changed" JJ shouted, agitated, through the door into the kitchen. Reid walked through, not even noticing how naturally and quickly the two of them had grown into living with one another. She was half way through getting some jeans on. He smiled at her.

"Having some trouble?"

She took one look at him and burst into tears. He didn't think he'd felt panic like this since playing Russian roulette with Tobias Hankle.

"Jennifer – what on earth? What's wrong?! JJ??"

She collapsed into his arms and carried on sobbing, he tried to move her hair out of her face and make some sense of the indistinguishable noise she was making.

"I've just – it's just – I've put on… so much weight lately-" He stared at her for a while, thinking. Socially inept, relationship inexperienced or not… he was still a genius.

"You've put on weight… yes." She stared at him gob smacked. He sat her down on the bed and carried on regardless.

"You've also been exhausted… you've been sick in the mornings… and you think I haven't noticed but there is a distinct lack of spinach in mine and your fridges."

She looked at her feet guiltily, knowing what was coming.

"JJ… I think you might be pregnant." For Spencer, who by the age of 23 could count his girlfriends on one hand, his most serious relationship lasting about a week with a b movie star pin up… this was possibly the hardest, most awkward conversation of his life. But with all respect, he carried on.

"In Las Vegas… we didn't use protection." She looked up, in a tired relieved kind of way; as if just glad it had all finally been said out loud. She whispered although there wasn't really any need.

"But… I'm on the pill"

"Even with perfect use there's a 0.3 chance that the hormones…" Despite everything that had happened to them since they arrived in New York, JJ burst into laughter. She rested her head on his collar bone.

"Oh thank god it's you"

"It is… it is me right?" she looked up and frowned at him. "Sorry, sorry... I just had to ask."

"It's you… if there's an 'it' at all I guess…" He sprung up.

"Right, I'm going to go and get a test, now. There's a chemist just up the street from here, we passed it" She rubbed her eyes, strangely scared at the fact that she might know for definite.

"Spence… it's 11pm."

"I'll find an open one. Stay right where you are." He kissed her forehead and ran into the hall grabbing his coat, shouting behind him. "I'll be right back. I'll get you some spinach if you're lucky"

She smiled to herself as she heard the door slam. She was definitely lucky.

……….

Garcia stared through the glass windows of the restaurant, watching the bustling streets of New York, utterly content. They had been getting the odd look, granted they were an odd couple, and they were laughing very loud, but they couldn't help but live in their own little bubble when they were together. Morgan moved his head in front of her eye line.

"Hey, hot stuff, who's caught your eye?"

"Calm down gorgeous, you worried about competition?" They both laughed at each other, and kept smiling long after. Suddenly and drastically Garcia's face changed, the complete contrast of these expressions on her so usually happy face looking alien. It frightened him beyond belief. Morgan spun around; looking through the window to see what or who had made her so scared.

"Derek, it's him, he's right there, right there!"

She spoke so fast he could barely understand her. He leapt up and ran towards the window, just as a man cloaked entirely in black ran away into the crowded streets. He had one look at the man to know it was the one Garcia has meant. He ran out of the restaurant but there was no chance he could ever find him in the swarm of people and noise and taxis... He swore loudly, frustrated, and went to sit back down at the table, holding both of Garcia's hands and commanding her gaze. In the commotion one of them had knocked over a near full wine bottle, its last remains were finally trickling out as he began to talk.

"Penelope… was that the man… that stole our information? That… injected you?"

She nodded. Pale and frozen. So unlike her. He couldn't believe he'd let him get away. All the rage he had felt for that man moments ago became aimed at himself. He swallowed and threw a handful of twenties on the table, main courses barely touched.

"Come on girl, let's call it a night."

He knew that pale, skeletal face would haunt his dreams that night.

……….

_The huge, built man towered over another__, another who could have looked quite large in normal circumstances. His pale blue eyes wild with fury and a certain sick excitement, he brought the other mans skull crashing into his knee for the third time, and with a shocking crunch, threw his limp body into the wall and slammed the cell door shut behind him. He turned around and stared at the barely conscious man._

"_When… When did you stop believing in the cause?" The replies seemed to take the whole will and energy out the man, he had been so entirely crushed._

"_I don't know… I never betrayed us. Not once."_

"_The woman. She's one of them. You had a choice. You didn't have to choose scum like her"_

"_She's not scum. I don't care."_

"_Then you will die."_

_With every ounce of strength the smaller man craned his neck up to look defiantly into those cold, lifeless eyes._

"_I accepted that fate long ago." He collapsed, the words and small movements too exhausting for now__, and 2 considered him. There was no honour in punishing a man when he was unconscious, and it was no longer a punishment if he did so. He strode back past the long row of cells, only one occupied for now, and climbed the stairs to the ground floor to join his comrades and his master._

……….

"You just couldn't help yourself could you…. What if you were caught…. Yes but what if…. If he knew…. No…. no I wont…" The blonde agent stopped short when she saw Reid advancing. "I have to go." She walked in front of him, showing little or no expression. He approached her warily.

"Agent… Agent Ruth Guy?"

"Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid." She acknowledged him, but did not move.

"I… I need to go out; I need to buy some things. Tonight." He added in answer to her raised eyebrow.

"We lock up at 11pm."

"Surely you have the keys?" She sighed a bit, as if explaining a tired old theory to a particularly dull student. Pretty ironic in the doctors case.

"But what would be the point of a safe house… with a curfew of 11pm… if I just let you roam the streets at midnight anyway."

"I understand that but… it's very, very important."

"Then I will get it for you." She smiled a very standard kind of smile. He was rather taken aback.

"Oh. Right. Well if it's the only way."

"You are going to have to tell me, Dr…" Reid felt incredibly patronized, yet this seemed to be her general attitude, and not really her aim.

"I need a pregnancy test…for a friend." He added again, to a much more pronounced raised eyebrow. She merely nodded though.

"…and some spinach." She smiled her unamused, cold smile again. Still, she was being more helpful than he would have hoped.

"Right. I'll be ten minutes."

And with that she was out of the reception into the streets, leaving a very awkward genius loitering in the hallway.

……….

_2 was finishing off a call which the Father seemed __particularly interested in. He hung up and took a deep breath._

"…_a pregnancy test."_

_The old mans cold dark laughter reached out into the corners of the room and bounced off the walls back at them. They all, naturally, laughed too. It was incredibly unnerving. One of them remained silent._

"_6… why doesn't this amuse you? Is it not another pawn in our game?" She swallowed, glad she was a favourite but doubly sick that she was there at all._

"_I like kids I guess."_

_He gave a smile that clearly excused this as a female fault of the mind and spun back to the bottom right screen, where his, and everybody else's eyes, joined the one persistent man, 2 seats from the right._

"_I have made my choice."_

………

The agent had been pretty quick in getting back; he supposed she wasn't as bad as his instinct first told him. Currently Spencer Reid was dancing from foot to foot outside the en suites door, waiting for the biggest news of his so far fairly uneventful life. Minus the kidnapping, drugging, and the one of a kind, save the world sort of job of course.

"Finished…?" He called out attentively. She emerged out of the bathroom holding a thin white stick with a tiny screen on one end.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you it takes…"

"…at least 2 minutes, you know the chemicals they use to analyse a sample so fast are quite ingenious… they detect human chorionic gonadotrop-" She put her hand on his mouth and smiled.

"Spencer… shush now."

They both looked down at the little device, holding their breaths. He couldn't help but speak.

"You know… if it was Vegas… that was 6 weeks ago. You'd have 10 more weeks to decide whether we'd keep it…"

"Oh Spence… I haven't even begun to decide anything." She started to look distraught again.

"Look… whatever it is, It's your choice… We'll both just sleep on it. It'll be fine. We'll work it out."

"We should probably look down now…" They stood and stared each other a while longer.

"On the count of 3." He kissed her, amazed at how well he'd blundered through the situation, yet still entirely in shock at the whole concept. He needed some serious tutoring from Morgan.

"1…2…"

………

_The man in the wheelchair smiled and turned mechanically around to face them. Silent tears were falling down__ from the man who sat 2 seats from the right side of the table. But they went unnoticed, everyone was far to preoccupied, and anyway, he was practised at going unnoticed._

_The 'Father' ran a hand through his mane of greying hair and smiled sadistically._

"…_or should I say. She will make my choice."_

………


	8. Choose

_Finally! Utterly ashamed at having left it so long but I have been swamped with work, and rather distracted by the amazing Garcia two-parter episodes_

_But back again with a vengeance, thank you to anybody who's still interested, I love hearing from you!_

_(Incase you've forgotten, JJ just took a test and the father has 'chosen'. Ooh. Lol)_

_A/N: Criminal minds belongs to those who write it (and if those who write it do not get a significant pay rise soon I will stop watching it regardless of how good it is, go strike!)_

………

**Forever**

**Chapter 8: Choose**

………

"…3"

They both looked down slowly, as if fighting against some unseen force that was holding their heads back.

"Oh..."

Spencer felt a strange sensation, like he could feel his heart beating in his throat, the heavy, thick pulse of it overwhelmed him, stopped him from speaking. Not only did he fail to spout out the standard list of ambiguous facts, absolutely nothing came to mind. This was new territory. He gently prised the little white device from his colleagues shaking hands and held it against the back of the box to make sure.

It was incredibly clear.

Horizontal blue line: Pregnant. Vertical blue line: Not Pregnant.

He stared at the tiny blue line on the tiny white stick, crossing the tiny white screen.

Horizontally.

"Well… that's a yes then."

………

_Although it was an unclear statement they all seemed to understand. "She will make my choice." It must have been in the Manifesto. The man in the wheelchair leaned back and watched the screens for a few more minutes and then spun back to face them decisively._

"_10, 14. Fetch her, 5 will help you but you must not blow her cover." The man referred to as 14 stirred uneasily, his amber- brown eyes had stopped their silent, teary protest._

"_But Si- What if she chooses-?"_

"_Then you will do it. She won't. But that is irrelevant. If she did… You. Would. Do it." He stressed each word of the final sentence with a clear undertone. There was no room for negotiation. The two swiftly left the room, and the attention was yet again focussed on the screens._

"_Tech__… 3… get ready to pull the plug"_

………

"JJ…"

She had taken back the test and sat down on the edge of his bed… _their_ bed, he corrected himself unconsciously. She hadn't said anything in ten minutes.

"Are you okay…?"  
He hadn't expected this reaction. But then he hadn't had a clue what to expect in the first place. This was just as alien to him as anything else was going to be. She looked up, her eyes dry. This observation made him feel mutually deeply reassured and deeply concerned. _That's ridiculous… emotions are not sustainable to paradoxes_, he thought, although it was really just a distraction from what to say next. Finally she spoke.

"What are we going to do?"

He berated himself inwardly for preferring the silence. But he spoke from the heart.

"… What's right. We'll work it out."

"We?"

He frowned at this.

"Of course."

She breathed out slowly and the corners of her mouth turned up, although it was not yet quite a smile.

"I'm so glad it's you, Spence."

As much as this pleased him he didn't really have an answer for this, he joined her on the bed and put one arm around her, one hand on her stomach. She looked at him. Confused, terrified, relieved, expectant. He kissed her forehead and they sat in silence for a while. He started when she spoke again.

"I think… we should sleep in our own rooms tonight. It's just so much to process. I've got to be alone." But I'm not alone. She added, subconsciously. There's another one now. Spencer nodded gravely, with only a tiny hint of hurt showing through.

"I understand… we'll talk in the morning."

"Yeah… definitely." She was beginning to regret her suggestion but it was true. They both needed time alone to think for themselves. He walked her to his door, she felt like she was being led, blind.

"Wait- Spence." He stared at her, compelling her to elaborate.

"Truthfully. Please… Will a part of _you_ hate me, if… if part of _me_ makes me keep… it. Or… if a part of _me_ makes me… get rid of it"

He searched for an ounce of him that would.

"…No, Jennifer. I just wouldn't"

But somehow the term 'get rid' seemed like such an ugly prospect to both of them.

………

_The bespectacled man in the corner was completely devoted to the machine in front of him. His fingers were a near blur over the keyboard, he seemed to be stroking it rather than typing. He had a Greek symbol tattooed on his ring finger. Everyone in that room could tell you it meant 3._

"_Are they in?"_

_A few more raps on the keys to confirm._

"_Yes, Father."_

"_Tell them… 3:15"_

………

Not one team member was having much luck sleeping.

Emily rang the detective a final time; it was still going straight to voicemail. She was annoyed with herself; usually she was so good at detachment, a talent that made her a top profiler… not so good with dates. _Why did she care so much?_ She rolled over and tried to sleep.

Hotch sat in his room, staring at the case files… but not processing them. He may as well have been looking at the dark mahogany dresser below. It had been a month since he had come back to his house to find his… his entire life had left him. When Jack was born… he was already SSA Hotchner. He hadn't changed… _the child cases were harder to bear_. But he hadn't changed. _Why had Hailey?_ He buried his head in his hands, stopping angry tears of frustration getting any further. He had thought about the situation to death... He has never seconded his responsibility as a father to his one to the team, not once. _But that wasn't enough._ He grudgingly dragged himself over to the bed and closed his eyes in vain.

Morgan was having a different kind of a sleepless night. And Garcia was having a similar one. Concerning the networked hotel phones.

"Look I knooow you like being the tough guy… but I have moved on my chocolate prince!"

He grinned at one of his favourite nicknames.

"Oh no baby girl. I will not rest until I find him. Nobody touches my Garcia!"

"You're all talk stud"

"Do you want me to come over there and give you a spanking? Because I will march my ass down that corridor right now young lady!"

The line crackled with giggles. She held her tongue. Well, a little bit.

"Oh yeah big boy?"

He grinned and then looked at the clock, utterly shocked. 3:00AM.

"Christ, girl I am gonna have to get some shut eye… early rise remember, you too"

"Ahh… you're right. Night night sweetne-"

The line cut off.

………

"_It worked?"_

"_Yes, father"_

"_Turn on the night vision."_

………

Spencer rolled over and stared at the clock. 3:07AM. _The dark circles round his eyes would be back with a vengeance tomorrow morning,_ he thought with a groan. JJ had begun to irradiate them.

Would a part of him hate her if she kept it? _No, definitely not. But if she got rid of it..._ He thought hard… because he hadn't thought about this turn of events yet. Because from the moment he saw that little horizontal blue line… up until now, he hadn't considered abortion. Unbidden images entered his mind, a tiny replica of JJ, long blonde hair, big blue eyes, sat on his knee. He'd read to her every night, like his mother did to him… _she'd know the periodic table by the age of 5_… he shook his head, physically trying to shake out these happy little fantasies. Nothing was certain yet. _Why did he assume it was a girl?_ He turned over and grabbed the phone of the bedside table, keying in JJ's room number. The line was dead and he rolled back onto his spine, rather dejected. _What would you say anyway, genius? 'I think our child might like chemistry?'_ He pressed his fingers into his eyelids, it offered some relief, but sleep still wouldn't rescue him.

………

A noise somewhere outside, a creaking, made her open her eyes for the fourth time in 5 minutes. JJ looked at the source of the irritating red light illuminating her bedroom, preventing her from sleep. 3:12AM. She threw a jumper over it and sat up, brushing her hair out of her face. _What a joke. That's not keeping you up at all. It's probably just the impending motherhood._ She sat, thinking, for a few minutes. She thought of Spencer. Her stomach ached with what she told herself was hunger but knew was guilt. She'd already made her choice. Maybe… maybe if it had been a mistake, then she would… get… 'rid'. But of course this was a mistake. But in a strange, enlightened way she thought… _a good one._

Her two hands cupped her presently flat stomach.

A third one shot round her neck and grabbed her face roughly, whilst pushing the unmistakeable barrel of a shotgun into her stomach, stifling the scream she tried to let out.

"Stay perfectly still or I swear to god we will kill both of you."

She froze as if doused in a bucket of ice cold water. Her skin crawled with fear. She managed to utter out a few words, through the thick, metallic tasting glove that was constricting her mouth.

"Please…don't"

The glove tightened its grip and the pressure on her stomach increased and she stopped. A voice came from in front of her this time, the man behind her released his grip very slightly, not an act of mercy.

"You have a choice. You or Him. Choose."

The man behind took his hand off her mouth and grabbed a handful of hair, painfully pulling her head back.

"Choose!"

"I don't – I don't understand!"

They both carried torches and as her eyes grew accustomed to the subtle light she made out the frame of the slim man in front of her. He spoke to her slowly and clearly, though his voice shook a little.

"You… Jennifer Jarau. Or him. Spencer Reid."

The words came out before she had a chance to process them, and once she had they only confirmed her decision. Her reply provoked an audible sigh from the man in front of her, who stopped his slight shaking.

"**Choose me." **

………


End file.
